Your career is taking off. You’re starting to reach the level of success of your dreams. You’re fostering healthy relationships with family, friends, and at work. You make smart food choices, eating whole, organic foods whenever possible. You prioritize sleep, understanding that 7-8 hours nightly is maybe the most critical pillar of health. But when it comes to exercising, you don’t have time. You are just too busy right now! Even though you would like to be at a healthier weight, finding an hour a day to go to the gym just isn’t part of your success plan. But why?
Did you know?
Not having enough time is
the number one reason for
not exercising.
Did you know? Not having enough time is the number one reason for not exercising. You just don’t see the value for your time. But if you truly, fully understood the necessity of exercise for human health, physically and mentally, exercise would become a non-negotiable. You need to exercise in order to have more energy!
Finding the time
First things first, no one ever said that you must exercise for an hour a day. Research shows that most benefits are recognized in the first 20 minutes of an exercise session so start there. Where do you have 20 minutes to give? Most people find it easiest to exercise in the morning before you start your day, that way it’s done! You don’t have to think about it all day and wonder when or if you can fit it in. Others sign up for a class at a gym in advance, making an appointment on their calendar, treating it with equal importance to other meetings.
Resistance training
Next, you do not have to go to a gym to have an effective and beneficial exercise session. Wherever you are when you have a 20 minute window, that’s where you exercise! Work, home, school, etc. you can make it work for you. Resistance bands are the most inexpensive bang for your buck when it comes to equipment. Purchase a few in varying resistance levels and find a video online that can walk you through some exercises. Prioritize strength over cardio exercise. That means resistance training over walking. Both are important, but if you only have 20 minutes, strengthening your muscles has a bigger payoff for your metabolism. If you have 30 minutes, do 20 minutes of strength training and 10 minutes of
cardio like walking or jogging.
“Research also now shows
exactly how exercise
makes us feel good
mentally. “
Feel the hope rise
We know from decades of research that exercise lowers blood pressure and decreases the risk of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It’s also been shown to improve aging and so much more. Research also now shows exactly how exercise makes us feel good mentally. When muscles contract, they secrete chemicals into the bloodstream. One chemical is called myokines, which have been referred to as “hope molecules”. These
myokine proteins travel to the brain and act as an antidepressant. They do this by improving our mood, our capacity to learn, our capacity for movement, and protect our brains from the negative effects of aging.
If you’re ready to make exercise a consistent part of your life, start with 20 minutes three times a week, and gradually add days and minutes as you feel better and better!
Jody Trierweiler, C.N.C is a CM Magazine Contributor, and health and fitness expert in Metro Detroit. Follow her and shop supplements @jodysfitlife on Instagram and Facebook, or see her on Live In The D on WDIV-4 NBC Detroit. Take one of her fitness classes at Life Time Fitness in Bloomfield Hills, or Club Studio in Troy, Michigan.
